Christina Murphy Allison (1939 – 2018)

Christina Murphy Allison died at Maravilla on August 22, 2018. Born in Brooklyn in 1939 and raised in Vancouver, B.C., she was a gifted soprano who trained in New York, claimed two Rockefeller grants, and sang with distinction with European opera companies for many years, including one memorable performance with Joan Sutherland. She came to Southern California in the mid-1970s and, in 1980, married David N. Allison, whose mother’s family, the Knapps, had long been prominent in Santa Barbara. Soon the newlyweds moved to Montecito, from whence they traveled widely, especially for Christina’s performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the English-Speaking Union in New York. After her husband’s death in 2000, Christina continued to be active, especially with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Irish Historical Society, where she served as a board member, as well as writing, performing, and regularly sending letters to the editor of the Montecito Journal about matters that came to her attention. Her last months were not easy, but at Maravilla, hours before she suddenly died, she was singing quietly, to the delight and enchantment of those who were caring for her. She was much loved by all who knew her. There are no known immediate survivors. 

Private arrangements are pending. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Irish Historical Society of Santa Barbara, 1114 State Street Suite 250, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 or the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1330 State St., Santa Barbara 93101.